My name is Todd Sweeney, I'm 35, I live in Tampa, Florida, and I'm a Food Whore.

Born and raised in East Tennessee, I quickly learned to eat anything and everything. My parents and grandparents, being proper Deep South denizens, exposed me at an early age to the wonders of what some would call "Southern" or "Soul" food. I simply called it dinner or supper.

In the summer my mother would track down a local farmer and bring home paper sacks full of fresh veggies. A Tuesday night supper would consist of homemade biscuits or cornbread, black-eyed peas, squash casserole, turnip greens, sliced tomatoes, and lima beans, all fresh from the farm. The adult "me" appreciates this meal now in a way the child "me" never did. When I visited grandparents, food was invariably a highlight, and homemade was the rule. Macaroni and cheese, sausage balls, fig and pear preserves, pole beans, collards, scalloped potatoes, pound cake, hummingbird cake, red velvet cake, pecan pie, lemon icebox pie... The list goes on.

You'd think with an upbringing like that I was ready to step into a healthy, nutritious, sumptuous adult culinary lifestyle. But, no. With college came independence and two insidious words destined to change my life forever: FOOD PORN. A major paradigm shift of eating took place. "Healthy and Nutritious" became "Cheap and Easy". Fast food became a way of life. Veggies took a long leave-of-absence. The pizza guy started ringing the doorbell even before I picked up the phone (now that's service!). Leftover pizza became next day's breakfast. When I had money, I gorged myself on various buffets; Chinese, Mexican, pizza. When I was broke, I gorged myself on ramen, canned chili and chowder, and a cornucopia of frozen, fatty foods.

Dropping out of school to work in IT, I gradually discovered I could afford to eat better foods. My IT career has been great over the years, allowing me to explore all kinds of cuisine. I've sampled numerous dishes of varying cultures. My cookbook collection now threatens to collapse a couple of shelves in my pantry. Thanks to the wonders of the internet and cable television, I've soaked up countless hours of cooking knowledge. I've learned to make sauces, satays, and sushi. Most of all, I've learned the joy of sharing food with friends and family.

Epicurus said "We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink." I hope you'll become "gastronomers" and join me in my exploration of all things edible. I'll gladly share some with you. Dig in. There's plenty for all!

Let's eat!

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